Character in Cartoon Style

DoorKnobHandle · Thu 23/02/2006 11:35:45

Once again I tried to improve my sprite-skills. Took me 10 minutes to get the following character view done. I know this is not enough time to make something real good, but I wonder what I could improve!

Here is the sprite:

25x62, 12 colors + background and 6x zoomed...

So, please give me feedback, suggestions or even paintovers to show me what I could make better with this character. Thanks!

Tuomas · Thu 23/02/2006 11:44:15

Nice one. I'd say though, that while messing with shadows, look closely where everything goes as in, the shirt has mainly 2 colours, light and dark red, but they don't seem to be in any shape specific, so I reckon they are there to give the shirt some depth. Same goes to the hair and the jeans. Think for a while, where does the light actually come from and which parts does it hit making those parts lighter than the others.
Then I'd draw the linings with a bit lighter colour too, would fit my eye better, I suppose, not a universal rule though. Then he looks kind of like he was a bout to fall. Try and make him stand up a bit. I could do a paintover, but my time is very short, and Iknow someone will always make it better, so just wait for that or do your own by this.

DoorKnobHandle · Thu 23/02/2006 11:52:17

Yeah, you're right. I don't like the face and the shirt shading either... I'll try to modify it somehow.

EDIT:
Allright, I won't have time to update his position (because that would probably require to start all over with the sprite) but somebody might do this in a paintover maybe? I will change the outline colors to be a little lighter and I want to change the shading on the face and the shirt, but I am not sure how to do it properly. I mean, I know how to draw respectively to a lightsource and everything, but how can I define depth?

EDIT 2:

Here is Version 2. Is it any better? I'm not sure myself. I desperately need good shading advice. Should I use more shading colors maybe?

Version 2

24x58, 13 colors + background and 6x zoomed...

skw · Thu 23/02/2006 16:17:28

Well, first of all, you NEED to spend some time on learning the shading rules. There's so many illustrated tutorials, even on the TUTORIALS board here, that you'll find something easy and valuable for sure.

What can I say? Your sprite is shaded in a very messy way. Try the line shading (or whatever you call it), not irregular dithering (it will come handy in the future). Cartoon style must be kinda clean and neat.

And... no MORE colors, use LESS in a correct way. Adding palette to every pixelart has the reason - use only these essential ones.

Good luck!

DoorKnobHandle · Thu 23/02/2006 16:51:12

Hmm... I just can't seem to find any tutorials on shading sprites. Almost 80% of the tutorials in the sticky here are broken or not relevant. Can you or anybody else post the direct link to one or more of the tutorials that helped you the most?

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Thu 23/02/2006 17:44:51

Here is a version with basic shading. This is what I did-

1. Reduced the number of colors and used the colors that stand out the most.
2. Shaded with the light coming from the top down. Parts of the body that bend inward are shaded darker while his knees and upper torso are hit by the light.

you can use more colors, but with such a small sprite you really need to have shades that stand out from each other for them to be noticeable.

Keep at it!

DoorKnobHandle · Thu 23/02/2006 17:52:31

Hey, that looks great, ProgZ. Thank you very much, I think the more simplistic shading style fits quite well. I am currently trying to learn from your paintover and adapt it to my sprite similarly!

skw · Thu 23/02/2006 21:01:34

Quote from: dkh on Thu 23/02/2006 16:51:12
Hmm... I just can't seem to find any tutorials on shading sprites. Almost 80% of the tutorials in the sticky here are broken or not relevant. Can you or anybody else post the direct link to one or more of the tutorials that helped you the most?

I'd put MrColossal's tutorials (http://kafkaskoffee.com/tutorials.shtml) as the finest example but bet you've already seen that site. These tutorials are really helpful and also well-written!

I've learn bunch of shading methods mostly from the games which I played, and there's probably no better advice to give. Just watch the sprites carefully and make your own similar. Shading isn't that hard to make as it seems.

Good luck with your sprites!

DoorKnobHandle · Thu 23/02/2006 22:46:26

Hehe, yes I knew about Eric's page, but I could've sworn it was down several hours ago. Anyways, here's the latest version (which I am quite happy with) and a second character which doesn't look good enough yet. What could I do about him?

Final Version with new character in same style...

6x zoomed...

Keep the constructive critique coming please!

skw · Fri 24/02/2006 15:27:29

Sh*t, I've written a whole page for that post, but an Explorer error ruined all my work. So again...

Now the shading looks better at the first character, but the second one for sure needs some improvement.

The first thing to understand the shading issue is to get to know about proportions. Take a look in the mirror, at your friend or whatever and try to count how many heads you will need to build the whole character. Average number is seven and a half, sometimes eight but that's just perfect. Average width for an usual human is two heads. Check out on which position the chest, croth or knees are placed, compare the head height / width to other parts, the other parts to the other other parts and so on - that's the way to learn proportions. It's all about realistic style and your is cartoony, but it's good to know anyway.

And the shading itself. You highlight and darken some elements to make the depth (simulate the light) and dimensional look for the figure. It all depends on it's shapes and the light source. That was the point in the part above - make more realistic shapes for your character and he will be easier to shade.

There are some tutorials to look at (mostly found with Google, my best friend):

http://www.rebekahlynn.com/free/tutorial/shading_tutorial.html (rather for traditional art, but look up anyway)

http://www.spriteart.com/tutorials/03_fighter_sprite.html
http://pixel-zone.rpgdx.net/shtml/tut-coloring.shtml
http://www.gawzu.idv.tw/sprite_1.html

And the whole page with hotlinks: http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/External_Tutorials#Cell-shading.2FComic_Art_Styles

Happy pixelating!

Sorry if all my critique sounds kinda harsh but I've learn that if you really WANT to make something, you MUST be self-critical, even picky. That's why I throw away almost everything I do

.

DoorKnobHandle · Fri 24/02/2006 15:37:33

Hehe, thanks Skurwy. Your critique isn't harsh at all, thanks for pointing out those tutorials. I'll take a look at them asap.

EDIT: Hmm... Allright, I took a look at the tutorials and they sure are helpful, but they don't seem to fit my style here. I think my problem with the new character is that I lack any ideas of what I could add to him. He's just so plain.

skw · Fri 24/02/2006 17:36:23

Np, dkh. I've found all of them in a while and they seemed right at the first look.

Now I'm doing pixelart as well (sprites for a small game which I working on) so maybe I'll shoot a paintover to explain you some things in a clear way, but don't know when. I'll also try to get at the graphic studies that year (I have to learn art history, techniques and practice) - there's a lot of work and no time at all.

Anyway, if I get a short break I'll do that for you.

DoorKnobHandle · Sun 26/02/2006 18:27:17

Ok, I got some more done on him today. This is everything I have right now:

Standing Left (6x zoomed)...

Standing Right (6x zoomed)...

Standing Up (6x zoomed)...

I didn't want to simply flip a copy for the right/left frames, because then his little bag would've switched sides obviously...

I also drew a walking animation for the sideviews, but I am still working on the arm and head movement on that one (I used Eric's template as source).

So, anymore comments etc.? I'm still looking forward to improving the second guy (the green one) I posted above...

Thanks ahead of time.

DanClarke · Sun 26/02/2006 23:00:12

I think he's quite cool, but i think his feet need to be more levelled, like the character you drew alongside him. Atm it looks as if he's hovering or dragging his feet.

DoorKnobHandle · Sun 26/02/2006 23:05:28

Ah yes, his feet are really strange now that you pointed it out to me.

Thanks for the hint, I'll change it asap!

MarVelo · Mon 27/02/2006 01:10:24

His legs look very thin and gumpy. Kind of crippled-like. They dont look like they could support his weight.

Corey · Mon 27/02/2006 09:54:07

his feet also look too thin IMO wouldnt hurt making them thicker

DoorKnobHandle · Mon 27/02/2006 12:22:37

As I said before, I agree about the feet. But I did make his legs small on purpose. Remember that I am not trying to draw in a realistic style, but in a cartoon style. Thus, his head is way too large and his legs are too small.